


Art Is Hard

by Exterminatorviolence



Series: The Ugly Organ [2]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Indie AU, M/M, OOC, The Ugly Organ Verse, be warned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-24
Updated: 2014-10-24
Packaged: 2018-02-22 09:25:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2502797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Exterminatorviolence/pseuds/Exterminatorviolence
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joel smiles down at Ray who smiles back at him, and suddenly Joel wonders when he fell for this boy. This pained boy who is only eighteen who has all these feelings that come screaming out of him when a guitar is placed in his hands and a microphone placed in front of him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Art Is Hard

**Author's Note:**

  * For [deadeels](https://archiveofourown.org/users/deadeels/gifts).



> Ray is still Conor and Joel is still Tim, yep. Still for alarmist! \^.^/  
> Track 2 from "The Ugly Organ": Art Is Hard  
> \---  
> IMPORTANT: Someone I love once said: "I only make videos when I feel like them so I can make the best videos I possibly can. 'Cause if I made videos-like if I said 'I would make these on certain days', then that would just be awful and kill me..." Take "videos" and put in "stories". So, from now on, I'm not having any set days for stories, I'm just going to write the stories I want. Angels and Demons will still be updated, but only when I want to update it, so the chapters are the best they can be and not some quickly typed crap. It's not fair to you guys either, so if you stop reading, I understand. I'm sorry.

After they meet, Ray starts to write more lyrics, starts to actually put a melody to them with his shitty guitar and manages to actually write a few real songs. They’re raw and a little shoddy, but Ray’s still kind of proud of them. He shows them to Joel when they meet and Joel says they’re good, and that he should make a CD. He brings Ray over to his apartment where he has a little recording area set up and Ray brings his shitty guitar and he screams his music out with all these feelings he can’t get out any other way, and Joel smiles when he’s done and says he’ll see what strings he can pull with his sister. And a month later Ray has an actual CD out, along with a vinyl, and he can’t believe it, but it’s real and it’s in the record store where Joel works and Ray’s never been happier.

\-----

Two months later, after one small tour that Ray goes on, he calls Joel and they make plans to hang out over the weekend.

They’re in Ray’s apartment and Joel is trying to show Ray how to play a chord.

“It’s like this,” Joel repositions Ray’s fingers where they keep slipping up. Ray strums the chord perfectly. Then the string snaps.

“Goddammit,” Ray hisses, and he stands up, handing his guitar to Joel who’s still sitting on his living room floor. Ray walks over to the end table next to the couch and starts rummaging through all the shit on it. “I don’t even think I have another G string,”

“It’s fine,” Joel says. Ray turns back and sees Joel taking off the broken string. “I can give you one sometime.” Ray feels his stomach shift in the best way possible, and he lifts his jeans up over his hips so they don’t fall and then rejoins Joel on the floor. He lays down, his head landing in Joel’s lap. “Have you written any more songs?” Joel asks, dropping a hand to run through Ray’s hair.

“No,” Ray sighs. “I keep thinking of what some guy told me when I was in Omaha performing.” He turns his head into Joel’s stomach.

“What’d he say?” Joel has a feeling he already knows.

Ray sighs again. “He told me that all my ‘self-inflicted pain’ is too ‘routine’ and that people are going to start catching on to it,” He groans. “Like, what does that even mean? I’m not even nineteen for Christ’s sake! I’m still using a fucking fake ID to get into bars. What does he even expect?” Ray huffs. “I’m not causing myself pain to sell shit.”

“I know that, Honey. It’s all about the art of acting weak,” His fingers catch a knot in Ray’s hair and he smooths it out. “A lot of people do that. They all fall in love to fail just to sell their stuff. But you’re not writing sad and painful music because you want to sell it, now are you.”

“No. I’m writing it because it’s the only way I know how to get rid of it all.”

“Exactly. Don’t let what he said get to you, alright? Art is hard for anyone who doesn't really know who they are.” Joel smiles down at Ray who smiles back at him, and suddenly Joel wonders when he fell for this boy. This pained boy who is only eighteen who has all these feelings that come screaming out of him when a guitar is placed in his hands and a microphone placed in front of him.

He vaguely wonders if Ray will become one of those people. If he’ll just reuse his pain and never try to make it real anymore, just yell out angry half drunk slurs about some sorry rejection or start selling his love affairs to make money. If he’ll start to fake his pain, fake who he is just so he’ll hear people scream his name.

“Hey,” Joel starts, and Ray opens his eyes and looks at him. “You know, no one’s expecting you to be some philosopher, right?”

“I,” Ray’s unsure of how to respond to that. “I know.” He says slowly. “Do you think that my parents will listen to the CD?” He asks abruptly, and Joel knows that’s his cue to not press Ray any further.

“Maybe,” Joel shrugs. “I think your brothers have a better chance in listening to it than your parents though.” He doesn't bring up the fact that Ray probably knows his parents won’t listen to his record. Nor does he bring up the fact that Ray’s brothers text him almost every day to see how he’s doing. Ray knows his brothers love him. His parents though, are a different circumstance.

“Hmm,” Ray hums and closes his eyes again. “Are you going to stay over?”

Joel considers. “If you want me too.”

“I always want you too. We can listen to records and I can kick your ass at Halo.” Ray smiles and he looks so peaceful and so content that Joel smiles back at him, even though he knows Ray can’t see him.

They sit in a moment of silence before Ray cracks an eye open. “I want to sleep. Can we sleep?”

And Joel rolls his eyes and doesn't point out that it’s four in the afternoon. He just smiles that smile that makes Ray’s chest lift and he scoops him up into his arms while standing and carries the laughing boy over to the couch. He falls onto the couch on his back, and drags Ray with him. The boy pulls a blanket, his favorite, over them and noses his way under Joel’s chin so he can rest his head in the crook of his neck.

“Did you ever read _The Velveteen Rabbit_?” Ray asks.

“I did. Me and my sister grew up on Calvin and Hobbes,” Joel is stroking his hand up and down Ray’s arm gently.

“Love me real?”

Joel kisses the top of Ray’s head. “Always.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> I also realized I didn't put any link for "Red Handed Sleight Of Hand"...so: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBr6p9uy4Z4  
> Full Album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5uLleCmm6k  
> "Art Is Hard": : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O2rMTkCpZs


End file.
